“This is nothing less than a judicial coup d’etat against the will of the people,” Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party said on Tuesday, condemning the detention of ten elected officials in İstanbul and the conviction of the Metropolitan Municipality Co-Mayor of Van (Wan), Abdullah Zeydan.
Authorities in İstanbul arrested two deputy mayors and seven municipal council members in early-morning raids, the party said. Offices and homes were allegedly subjected to arbitrary searches with no legal justification.
Simultaneously, a court sentenced Van Co-Mayor Zeydan in what DEM Party said was an attempt to pave the way for a government-appointed trustee to take control of the municipality. “Van voted overwhelmingly for the DEM Party, but the government cannot accept this result and has been scheming to seize the city ever since,” the party stated.
The party, which won significant victories in the March 2024 local elections, accused the government of continuing its policy of replacing elected mayors with state-appointed trustees, a practice widely criticised by rights groups. The statement described these actions as “a crime against democracy”, saying the ruling authorities were punishing voters for their choices.
İstanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office justified the detentions by alleging links to banned groups and questioning the legality of “urban consensus” alliances in local elections. The DEM Party dismissed the allegations as “an attempt to criminalise democratic participation”.
The party insisted that no legal or political justification could mask what it described as “systematic provocation” aimed at crushing democratic opposition. “Those responsible for this will be held accountable,” it warned, calling for an immediate end to “attacks on the will of the people”.
The DEM Party vowed to resist the crackdown and “defend the election results under all circumstances”.
International observers and rights organisations have repeatedly criticised Turkey’s abuse of legal measures to sideline elected opposition figures, arguing that it undermines local democracy and the rule of law.
